


Of Puppies and Love

by AwakeAndAliveSpartan



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: And he falls in love with it, Each chapter is a different oneshot, F/M, Fluff, Mild Language, Skye gets Ward a 'therapy' dog, and puppies, post-S3 AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-05-10 08:06:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5577823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwakeAndAliveSpartan/pseuds/AwakeAndAliveSpartan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Skye gets Ward a 'therapy' dog for his recovery and he slowly falls in love with him, and eventually gets the life he always wanted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Love at First Sight

Skye stiffened up as she heard Ward’s gruff shout echo from down the hallway. “Skye, why the hell is there a dog in our room?!” he exclaimed. “Get the hell in here!”

She suppressed a laugh, knowing that he had found her ‘little’ gift for him. Making her way to their room, she found Ward standing at the foot of their bed, wearing a scowl and pointing at a small chocolate lab puppy that he was holding by its scruff.

“What the hell is this?” he asked.

“Well, first of all, it’s a puppy.” she replied, walking over and taking the young thing from the man’s grasp. “And second, that’s not how you hold a dog.”

“Why is there a dog in our room?” he asked, crossing his arms and glaring at the tiny lab, whom of which looked content in Skye’s arms.

“I got him, Grant, for you.” she replied, stroking the puppy’s back. “Technically, it’s _our_ dog.”

A dumbfounded look filled Ward’s face, “How the hell did you even get a dog in here, Skye?” he asked. “There’s no way that Coulson’s okay with this.”

“Believe it or not, he’s okay with this. Mainly because your therapist said getting an animal would be of great help to you.”

“Skye, I can hardly take care of myself, let alone a damn dog.” Ward stated coldly, his arms still crossed. “What happens if I get in one of my episodes where I’m completely incoherent? I can’t take care of a dog then.”

“That’s why I told Coulson that I would be taking care of him. You get to play with him. He’s kind of like your therapy dog, helps you get through the bad times.” Skye said.

Ward narrowed his eyes, cautiously approaching Skye and the small puppy, whom of which had resorted to gnawing on Skye’s finger. “What’s his name anyway?” he asked. The fact that Skye had chosen a chocolate lab kind of freaked him out. Reminded him way too much of Buddy.

“Bear. You’re not good with names, so I decided to name him. And he’s supposed to get pretty big anyways, so I thought that would be a good name.”

“Why is his head so big?” Ward pointed out.

“He’s a blockhead lab. They have big heads, Grant. You and Bear have something in common.” Skye teased with a smile.

“This isn’t a good idea, Skye. We live in a massive base with weapons all around. We can’t have a small puppy running around here.” Ward protested. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Then we’ll keep him in here until he gets bigger, Grant.” Skye said, still stroking the young dog. “Then maybe he can be our guard dog.”

“Yeah, because labs are so fierce.” Ward retorted, sarcasm in his voice. “Make for great companions, not great guard dogs.”

“Didn’t you have a lab at one point?”

“Yeah, and Garrett _killed_ him.” Ward stressed, shaking his head. “That’s why I don’t like this whole mess.”

“Grant, this isn’t Buddy, this is _Bear_. He’s a totally different dog. They make look the same, but they’re not.” Skye said, handing the small puppy back to Ward. “And he’s sweet, he’ll only lick you to death.”

Ward narrowed his eyes and looked down to Bear, who licked the man straight in the face, “Buddy used to do that too.” he mumbled. Bear only yipped a small bark in response.

Skye smiled, “See, he already likes you. Well, considering that you freaked out the first time you saw him, picked him up by his neck, and started yelling for me.” she said. “A very forgiving dog.” She walked over to the bed and picked up what seemed to be a toy bone from it and walked to Ward and Bear. The small dog happily accepted the toy and started gnawing on it while still in Ward’s arms.

Skye laughed, noticing how tiny bear looked in Ward’s massive arms. Well, it didn’t help that her boyfriend was a highly muscular man who was well over six feet tall and Bear was a tiny eight-week-old puppy. It made Ward look less menacing than he actually looked.

Ward looked down at Bear and lightly scratched his small, black nose. Bear ignored him and continued gnawing away on his toy bone. “He’s not paying me any attention, Skye.” Ward stated, looking back up at her.

“That’s because he’s too enthralled with that bone, Grant.” Skye said, approaching him and kissing him on the cheek. “Play with him, and he’ll definitely pay you attention. Now, I’m gonna leave you two alone because I need to do something for Coulson for a while. You better be playing with that dog when I get back. Do you hear me, Grant Douglas?”

Ward looked away and didn’t respond.

“ _Grant_.” Skye said sternly, glaring at him.

“Sure, fine. Whatever.” Ward grumbled, keeping his eyes away from Skye and Bear.

“Good.” Skye said, leaving the room and shutting the door.

Ward sighed and sat the dog down on the bed, who ended up dropping the bone and looking up at him with a whine. “What the hell am I supposed to do with you?” he asked, knowing that the dog didn’t understand him like that.

It had been about five months since the team had brought him back from Maveth’s control, and it had been a very hard and very long road to get here. Maveth had left him stripped-down and barely functioning, traumatized out of his mind. Skye had taken it upon herself to make sure that he got better, and in the process the two fell in love again.

And Ward still had mental episodes, ones in which he was either incoherent, violent, or completely delusional. Bad flashbacks always haunted him and sleep was not the greatest thing in the world. Skye was about the only thing that kept him from going completely insane.

He looked back at the dog and sighed again. He didn’t know why his therapist and Skye thought that Bear was a good idea. Therapy dog? There was no way that this dog could be a therapy dog. Maybe Bear would help him calm down the next time he freaked out and reverted into a bad state of mind? Maybe that was it. Guess Skye thought that he needed some form of distraction since he was a long way’s off from doing missions again.

Ward took the bone from the dog and held it in his hand. Bear sat up and looked at him, his brown eyes drilling into Ward’s own. The puppy whined, showing that he wanted the bone. Ward sighed and gave in, sitting in the middle of the bed and crossing his legs. “You want the bone, boy?” he asked, shaking the small toy for Bear to see.

Bear yipped and wagged his tail, diving towards Ward for it. Of course the clumsy puppy missed and barreled straight into Ward’s stomach with a thud, falling straight into Ward’s massive lap.

Ward scoffed and stroked the puppy’s head, giving him the toy, “Guess you’re not that bad after all.”

* * *

 

 Skye came back an hour later to find Ward sprawled out on the bed fast asleep with Bear curled up on his chest. She smiled at the sight of her boyfriend fast asleep with the tiny lab on his chest, “I knew you would warm up to him.” she muttered, knowing that the man and dog would eventually become inseparable.

 “Guess I need to leave them alone.” she said to herself. Ward had been more prone to sleeping a lot lately. She figured that it had something to do with the meds he was on, but she knew not to mess with him when he was asleep.

But a smile perked on her lips, “But not before I get a picture to show the others.” She pulled out her phone and snapped a quick photo of the rare sight, knowing that this wouldn’t last long. “I guess dogs are really a man’s best friend.”

She smiled again as she took one last look at the sleeping duo before leaving the two to sleep.

And someone began to snore as Skye walked out of the room, and she wasn’t sure whether if it was Ward or if it was the young Bear.

(It was Ward.)


	2. A Man and His Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where there's a dog, there's a Ward...

“So,” Coulson began, looking at Skye. “Where’s Ward at? I haven’t seen him all day.”

Skye shook her head, “What do you think?” she retorted. “Wait a minute, let me try something.” She let loose a loud, sharp whistle. A small, but sharp, bark was soon heard in response. Skye looked at Coulson with a smile and held up a finger, “Wait for it.”

“Bear, you can’t just chase after every noise you hear!”

Coulson raised an eyebrow at Skye, but all she did in response was smile. It didn’t take long for a small, brown blur to bolt into the room and slam into Skye’s feet. She looked down and smiled to see Bear panting and looking up at her.

“Hey there, boy.” she cooed at him, bending down to pick him up. “There you are.” She got a wet tongue in the face as her response.

“Bear!” Ward came running into the room. “Skye, have you seen,” He stopped as soon as he saw the small puppy in her arms. He frowned, “You were the one whistling, weren’t you?” he asked.

“Yep.” Skye said, a big smile on her face. “Coulson wanted to know where you were, so I called Bear.”

Ward looked dumbfounded, “You couldn’t just have had called me?” he asked, walking over to Skye and taking the young dog from her. “You didn’t have to send me chasing after our dog.”

“Oh, it’s _our_ dog now?” Skye questioned with a raise of an eyebrow. “Yesterday he was your dog. So what is it, Grant?”

“Our dog.” Ward muttered in response, stroking the lab’s soft coat. “You’re the one that takes care of him anyways.”

“Yeah, because you can’t even fully take care of yourself yet.”

“I’m getting there.”

“Yes, but you’re still a long way away.” Coulson stated, interrupting the two. “But you’re getting there.”

Ward turned to look at Coulson, his grip on Bear tightening. He was still pretty much afraid of Coulson after everything that had happened. He could feel his chest tightening up with anxiety as the Director’s gaze landed on him. “Oh, Skye said you wanted me, sir?” he asked carefully.

Coulson shook his head, “There’s nothing I need from you, Ward.” he replied. “Just wanted to know where you were, and Skye took it a little too far.”

Skye smiled at Ward as he sighed in relief. Bear yipped and licked Ward in the face as if the dog actually sensed Ward’s paranoia. Ward looked down at the dog and smiled at him, continuing to stroke his fur.

“Grant, why don’t you go back to playing with Bear?” Skye suggested. “Assuming that’s what you were doing anyways.”

“I wasn’t playing with him.” Ward shot back. “I was trying to train him. You know, like to sit, lay down, speak, and so on. If we’re gonna have a dog around here, then he at least has to be trained.”

Skye sighed and shook her head, “Whatever you say, babe.” she stated. “Go see if he needs to go tinkle or whatnot.”

Ward raised an eyebrow, bending over to carefully sit Bear on the ground, “Tinkle?”

“You know, see if he has to piss.”

“Oh.” Ward looked down to Bear, who was looking up at him expectantly with a tail that was going about a hundred miles an hour. “You need to use the bathroom, boy?” he asked, getting a sharp bark in response. He looked back to Skye, “I guess that’s a yes.”

Ward turned and left the room, the young lab right on his heels. Another sharp bark could be heard echoing down the hallway.

“He seems to be enjoying the dog’s company.” Coulson noted, returning his attention to Skye. “I hope that really does help him.”

“It’s only been four days and Grant seems a whole lot better, Coulson.” Skye stated, crossing her arms. “I guess Bear’s really a therapy dog to him.”

“Any reason why you chose that kind of dog? They get kind of big.”

“Grant told me he used to have a lab like that when he was younger, when Garrett threw him in the woods. The dog, Buddy, was his only companion for five years. But according to Grant, Garrett saw that he was getting too attached to the dog and ordered him to kill him. Grant couldn’t do it and Garrett killed the dog instead.”

Coulson frowned, “And you didn’t think that getting a dog similar to the one that Garrett took away from him wouldn’t set him off? You know, trigger bad memories? He’s prone to that now.”

Skye shrugged, “Didn’t really think about it. But Grant was apprehensive about it when he first saw the dog. But the two seem to be the best of friends now, so I guess that really doesn’t matter at this point.” she explained. “Maybe a dog really is the best medicine you can get.”

“As long as the puppy doesn’t piss all over the place and we’re fine.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll clean it up, Coulson.” Skye smiled, “I could probably make Grant do it sometimes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to continue this AU universe with each chapter being about a different aspect/ prompt. Some will be kind of short and other maybe a little longer, it depends. If there's a specific prompt you would like to see revolving around Skye, Grant, and Bear the lab, let me know in a comment!


	3. Man's Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Ward's stricken by a panic attack, Bear's there to calm him down.

It all started with a nightmare. One of which couldn’t really be remembered, but it turned the night upside-down when Ward fell to the ground screaming. It caused Skye to jolt awake, fumbling for the lamp on the bedside table next to her.

She wasn’t quite sure what was going on when the light turned on, but the absence of Ward in the bed immediately alerted her. Then there were the sounds of whimpering and incoherent muttering.

And then there was Bear’s worried whines.

“Grant?” Skye asked, looking over to the corner of the room, finding Ward curled up there shaking uncontrollably. She bolted up and ran over to him, “Oh my God, Grant!” she exclaimed, kneeling next to him. She took his hand, trying to calm him down, but he was far too out of it to even notice.

Ward got like this every now and then. Something would trigger him and he would slip into some kind of panic attack, one where he would in a way disassociate from the world and become closed-off and unresponsive to anyone that tried to talk to him.

Maveth was all to blame for this. No one really knew what It had done to Ward’s mind, but it was for sure that it had severally messed-with it. Ward seemed to have several trauma-related mental issues, which always sent him spiraling out of control when they were triggered. And no one could get him out of it, time was the only helper here.

Bear whined, nosing Ward’s arm with his cold, wet nose, wondering why his owner was acting so strangely. Skye sighed and looked to the pup, who had grown a lot in the past few weeks. He now came up to Ward’s mid-calf, and he was still growing.

She pet the dog’s head and shook her own, “There’s no use boy, he’s not coming out of this for a while.” she whispered. “We’ve just got to wait it out.”

But of course the lab didn’t understand Skye’s words and he nosed Ward again, knowing that something was very wrong. Bear slowly walked closer to the panic-stricken man, moving between his legs and just sitting there. The dog looked up to Ward’s face, expecting him to looking at him. But nothing happened in response.

Bear whined again, licking Ward’s face until he did get a response. And to Skye’s amazement, Ward’s head slowly turned to face the young lab and a small, yet weak, smile cracked on his lips. Ward’s eyes were bloodshot and tears streamed down his face. Skye didn’t want to know what kind of dream triggered this, but she was more than glad that Bear had somehow broken through to him.

And slowly, but surely, Ward shakily moved his hand and positioned it on Bear’s furry back. Bear’s tail started to wag about a hundred miles an hour in response to Ward’s contact with him. And his big, wet tongue continued all over his owner’s beard-covered face.

Ward buried his head in Bear’s head, which were both probably about the same size. Skye could see her boyfriend’s back heaving with silent sobs. Hopefully since Bear had already broken through to him, Ward would be mostly back to normal within the hour. Skye knew that she had to make sure that Ward took his medicine and actually ate in the morning, since he tended to ignore his own needs after every episode he had.

Ward continued to have his arms wrapped around the young dog, still suffering from silent sobs. Bear shuffled and repositioned himself in Ward’s massive lap and Ward leaned back against the wall, still stroking the lab’s fur. He still didn’t notice that Skye was right next to him. It was still like she wasn’t in the room to him, but sooner or later he would come back to reality.

A smile pulled at Skye’s lips as she watched Bear’s eyes slowly closed as the dog became content with his position on Ward’s lap. She watched as Ward’s eyes eventually fluttered closed as well, the movement of his hand ceasing on the middle of Bear’s back.

She looked at the clock. Almost thirty minutes had passed, which would make this episode Ward’s shortest. They normally lasted an hour or more. She knew to make sure to give Bear extra dog treats and attention later on.

Shuffling closer to Ward and Bear, she leaned up against the wall and let her eyes close as well. She didn’t care that she was sleeping up against a wall, the only things that mattered were Ward and Bear right next to her. They were practically the only things that mattered to her.

She could faintly hear two different snores about ten minutes later, signaling that both Ward and Bear had fallen asleep. Skye still found it funny that Grant Ward of all people snored, but she had grown used to it since she spent most nights with her head laid on his chest.

With a smile on her face, Skye eventually drifted off to sleep as well, her head on Ward’s shoulder and a hand on Bear’s head. She was more than happy that she had gotten the lab as Ward’s so-called therapy dog, ‘cause he actually seemed to be really helping Ward.

Who says dogs aren’t man’s best friend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep the comments and kudos coming! And I'm still looking for prompt ideas, because I'm fresh out right now. I'll greatly appreciate any that come!


	4. Sleeping Like a Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nights used to be comfortable, until Bear came along.

Nights for Skye and Ward usually were nice and quiet, except for those filled with panic attacks and nightmare. They were typically asleep curled up against each other, Ward with his arms wrapped protectively around Skye and Skye with her head on Ward’s chest. But it all changed when Bear came along.

Bear started off in the pillows, sleeping practically on Ward’s head. Now, Ward didn’t mind it at all since it made him feel safer, but it became a pain as Bear started to get bigger. The lab slowly made his way to Ward and Skye’s feet and they knew that sooner or later, Bear would have to have his own bed on the floor.

And Ward didn’t like this notion since he and the dog were practically glued together at the side. And ever since the panic attack that Bear had pulled him from, Ward refused to go anywhere without the lab.

Skye was starting to get worried that Ward was becoming too dependent on the lab, but she wasn’t sure whether if it was him loving Bear way too much or that. Ward had grown way too dependent on Skye and on Bear, and that was weighing down on his recovery.

But no one could take Skye nor Bear from him, so they all just had to deal with this for now and find another way to get him dependent on himself.

Ward smiled as he heard Skye groan and shuffle closer to him, “You comfy yet?” he asked quietly, kissing the top of her head.

“Yeah. You’re just warm, and it’s cold.” she mumbled into his chest. “You’re very warm.”

“Yeah, doesn’t help that there’s a Bear on my feet and a Skye on my side.” Ward joked, repositioning his arms around Skye. “I’ve got some extra heat.”

“No need for jokes, Grant.” Skye mumbled. “Let’s just sleep.”

“Mmm, sounds fine to me.”                                           

But it wasn’t fine for Bear.

A sharp whine sounded from the foot of the bed and heavy movement jostled the mattress. The next thing the two knew was that a big, heavy blob pushed its way between them and separated them.

“Gah, Bear!” Ward exclaimed as a big, wet tongue licked his face. “Now’s not the time for this!”

A bark was his only response.

Skye sighed and rolled over, turning on the lamp on the bedside table lamp so they could see Bear. And sure enough, the lab was laid up between them with his tongue hanging out and his tail going wild.

“Bear, why do you have to do this now, boy?” Skye groaned, petting the top of his head. “It’s nighttime, not playtime.”

“Every single minute for him is playtime, Skye.” Ward stated sleepily, running his fingers through Bear’s fur.

“I think he needs to get his own bed. It can be right next to ours.”

“Let him sleep with us as long as he can.”

“He’s getting too big, Grant. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got as big as you.”

Ward scoffed, “That’s impossible. Labs don’t get _that_ big.”

“He’s getting pretty big. He’s the odd one out. He’s gonna be like Clifford.”

“There are many strange things in this world, Skye. Hell, I was possessed by some damn Inhuman parasite for several months. But no dog could get that big.” Ward stressed, looking Skye straight in the eyes. “Now that’s impossible.”

“I’m just messing with you. But I’m being serious. Bear’s gonna have to move to the floor sooner or later. We’re running out of space for us.” She then lowered her voice, “And I know that you wouldn’t like that.”

Ward rolled his eyes, his mouth slightly twisting up. His gaze drifted back to Bear, who had fallen asleep during the conversation. “I guess you’re right, Skye.” he muttered.

“Look, I know that you don’t want him to leave your side, but he’ll be right next to us in the floor.” Skye said, putting a hand on Ward’s shoulder. “He can sleep between us just for tonight, but we’re going to find him a dog bed tomorrow. Bear’s moving to the floor.”

Ward narrowed his eyes, “Sounds like a downgrade to me.”

“Grant, he’s a dog. Bear wouldn’t know the difference.”

“He likes to be near me.”

“I know that, but I said he was getting too big to be in the bed with us.”

“But,”

Skye put a finger over Ward’s mouth, “No buts, Grant Douglas. Bear’s getting his own bed so we can have the bed space for us and just us.”

“Fine.” Ward muttered, laying his head back down on the pillow.

“Wouldn’t you like some alone time anyways?” Skye asked, a hint of mischievousness in her voice. “Without the dog in the way.”

Ward definitely smiled at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep the comment and kudos coming! And I'm still looking for prompt suggestions!


	5. Three Plus One Equals?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye has some surprising news for Ward and Bear.

“You know, this is quite nice.” Ward said, turning his head to look at Skye, whom of which lay right beside him. He smiled, “It’s so nice and peaceful. It’s not like there’s fifty different things to do right outside this room. I just like to imagine that it’s just me, you, and Bear.”

Skye smiled back as Ward sat up, “That’s a very nice thought.” she replied, sitting up as well and resting her head on Ward’s bare shoulder. “That’s a really, really nice thought.”

“But it can’t be like that, right?” Ward questioned. “There’s always other people to intervene.”

Skye lifted her head up and looked at Ward, raising an eyebrow, “You’re not talking about the team, are you?” she asked.

He scoffed and shook his head, “Of course not, you know what I’m talking about. The people we fight against. There’s never a quiet day to where it can just be me, you, and Bear.”

At the mention of his name, Bear, the now one-and-a-half year old lab, lifted his head off of his bed beside his owner’s bed. He barked and started wagging the tail, which started thumping the wall with a loud, repetitive bang.

Ward sighed and looked to the dog with a roll of his eyes, “You wanna get up here, boy?” he asked. “Come on.” He patted the sheets beside him.

Bear barked again, and with a running leap, he jumped onto the bed, almost hitting Ward straight in the chest. The dog shoved his way between the two and took turns licking the both of them.

“Bear!” Ward exclaimed, pushing the dog’s head away.

“You asked for it.” Skye said with a laugh. “You knew he would lick the both of us once he got up here.”

Ward shrugged, “Well, doesn’t hurt to hope that he won’t lick.”

“He’s a dog. Dogs lick. And besides, we’ve had him for over a year now, Grant. He licks us every single day.”

“Well, I guess you’re right.” Ward mumbled, stroking the fur on Bear’s head.

Over the past year, Ward and Bear had grown to be the best of friends, way more than when they first had bonded. It was still ‘wherever there’s a Bear, there’s a Ward’. They were still inseparable.

And Bear had incredibly helped Ward’s condition. Ward’s mental state had drastically improved over the past year. There was still the occasional panic attack and nightmares still plagued him, but he was way better off than he had been when he was first pulled from Maveth’s control.

Skye looked at Ward briefly before returning her gaze to Bear and smiling, “You know, you’re right. Just the three of us is nice. But you know what?”

“What?” Ward asked, flowing as a mischievous smile grew on Skye’s face. “I know what?”

“What if Bear had a little brother or sister?”

Ward’s eyes grew wide, “You want to get another dog?” he asked. “We just got him fully trained and to where he won’t hump Fitz’s leg. You want another humper?”

Skye smiled and laughed, she had forgotten about how much Bear liked Fitz’s leg. And no one really knew why the dog did so. “No, I don’t want another ‘humper’. But you’re missing the point.”

“What point am I missing?” Ward questioned, confusing becoming clear on his face. “You just said that we should get Bear a little brother or sister. It’s clear that you want another dog.” He crossed his arms over his bare chest, “I don’t see what I’m missing here.”

A smiled pulled at Skye’s lips, she had forgotten how clueless Ward could be sometimes. “Maybe I don’t want a dog.”

“Then a cat? Skye, we can’t have a damn cat running around the base. That’s ten times worse than Bear.”

She sighed and decided to go ahead and give it up, “Okay, I’m not talking about an animal!”

Ward blinked, “You’re not?” he asked, then remaining silent for a few seconds. His eyes widened as her words sunk in, “You want a _child_?”

Skye raised her eyebrows and grinned awkwardly, motioning with her hand to get Ward to continue.

He blinked again and then all color drained from his face. “You’re not…. Don’t tell me…” He looked at her with a dumbfounded look on his face, “You’re not?”

“Surprise?” she replied sheepishly with an another awkward grin. “I’m pregnant. We’re gonna have a kid.”

Ward’s eyes grew to the size of saucers, “Really? Since when?”

“About six weeks. You’re not upset, are you?”

“Why would I be upset?” Ward asked, wrapping his arms around her. “This is great! A little shocking, but great! I would never be upset with you. You know I love you with everything I’ve got.” His eyes drifted down to her belly, “And our, uh, child. God, that’s weird.” He placed a kiss on her cheek, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” she replied, burying her head into his bare chest.

Ward smiled and looked over to Bear, “You hear that, boy? You’re gonna be a big brother. Or however close to one a dog can get.”

A bark was the only response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now a baby's being thrown into the mix! So expect a lot of dog and baby fluff in the chapters to come! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	6. Worry After Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ward expresses some worries as Skye's well into her pregnancy.

Ward sighed, wrapping his arm around Skye, who was now about five months into her pregnancy. And she was really showing too. She complained everyday about how her clothes no longer fit and how it was ‘all Ward’s fault’. But she knew that it was only going to get worse.

“Why the sigh?” Skye asked, looking over to her boyfriend as he placed a protective hand over her rounded belly.

“What? I can’t sigh?” Ward asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Usually something is bothering you when you sigh, Grant.” Skye responded. “Is there something bothering you?”

Ward shrugged, “I’ve just been thinking, that’s all.”

“About what?”

“About the baby. I’m…” he trailed off and shook his head. “I know it’s a little too late to be thinking about this now, but I’m not sure how good of a father I will be, Skye. I don’t think I’m meant to be one.”

Skye’s face fell, “Why the hell are you saying this, babe?” she questioned, placing her hand over Ward’s that was still on her belly. “Of course you’re going to be a good father.”

“It’s just that I never really had a real ‘dad’.” Ward began slowly. “My own father was horrible and Garrett was just even worse. I wouldn’t consider either of them to be good examples. I don’t know the first thing about raising a child. Skye, I _kill_ people. How am I supposed to take care of something so fragile?”

“Grant, I’ve seen you with children. You’re good with them. You’ve been good with any of the Inhuman children we’ve taken in temporarily.” Skye said. “How is your own child any different?”

“How can someone as messed up as me raise a new life?”

“Look, this baby isn’t going to care about who you were, Grant. It’s going to see you as its father and it’s going to love the hell out of you just because of that one thing. And I think the paternal instinct comes naturally. You’re already overly-protective, it’s not that different.” Skye nuzzled in closer to his side, “You’re going to be a great father, so stop worrying.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure, Grant.”

“And you’re sure that our child is going to be fine?”

“As fine as being half-Inhuman can be.” Skye stated. “Look, we may not be the most normal parents. You know how to kill a person about a hundred different ways and earthquakes happen when I get upset. We’re far from normal. But our child will be okay.” Skye looked to Bear, who slept on the floor in front of the couch that they were on. “And besides, they’ll have Bear to protect them. Bear will be a great big brother.”

“He’s a dog.”

“Dogs protect babies. And Bear’s a gentle giant.”

“Whatever you say. I just hope you’re right.” Ward started to stroke Skye’s rounded belly. “I hope things go well.”

“I hope they do too. I don’t want to be pregnant forever. And besides, I think the size of the baby is something to worry about.”

Ward frowned and looked down at her, “What do you mean?”

“I’m only five months in and I’m already _huge._ Either there’s really more than one baby in me or our child is going to be a giant. And that’s probably likely considering you’re a giant.”

“I’m not that tall.”

“You tower over me.”

“Mack’s taller than me.”

“But you’re tall and this child is yours. Genetics, Grant. This poor thing is going to get your height.”

Ward scoffed, “I hope that’s the only thing they get from me. I’m not exactly a model of perfection.”

Skye almost snorted, “Have you seen yourself? You’re like a Greek god or something. You are a model of perfection. You can almost cut something on those cheekbones of yours.”

Red blossomed on Ward’s cheeks, “I mean things other than my appearance, Skye. You know, like my mental issues.”

“I don’t think your issues are hereditary.”

“There could be a possibility. You don’t know that.”

Ward sighed and turned his gaze to the sleeping Bear, “I don’t know what’s possible these days. Our child is half-Inhuman after all.”

“That means nothing until Terrigen Mist is involved, and that won’t happen for a long time.”

“I guess you’re right. Maybe there is nothing to worry about.”

Skye reached up and kissed Ward’s stubble-covered chin, “Yeah, I know I’m right. You’re going to be a great father and our child is going to be perfectly fine. Stop worrying.”

“Whatever you say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, couldn't think of what to write. And I know there isn't that much Bear in this chapter, but this was focusing more on the baby and the worries Ward has. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	7. Even Dogs Love Babies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye and Ward's newborn daughter is only two days old, and Bear already loves her.

Ward smiled and held his two day old daughter close to his chest as he sat down on the couch in the common room. Little Ava Rose, his pride and joy, had only been born about two weeks early. Pride swelled in his chest as he ran a gentle finger down the sleeping infant’s arm.

Skye was in bed asleep, recovering from the exhaustion of giving birth. Ward had agreed to watch over Ava, but it wasn’t like he would leave her side anytime soon anyways. He would do anything to protect her, no matter what it was. A smile formed on his face as he smoothed down her feather-soft brown hair. She had gotten Skye’s hair and it already seemed that she had gotten her father’s cheekbones.

He could still hardly believe that a screwed-up mess like him could be a father. There was still several doubts he had about it, thinking that he would sometime fail and forsake Ava. And no matter how many times Skye told him that everything would be okay, he still had a hard time believing her words.

Ward almost drifted off to sleep just as a small whine sounded. He looked up and smiled to see Bear prancing over to him and Ava, his tail going about a hundred miles an hour. Sitting up and adjusting Ava in his arms, Ward whistled at Bear.

“Come here, boy. I guess you haven’t met your new sister yet. Well, as close to a sister that she can be to a dog.” Ward said softly as Bear sat at his feet and looked up at him and the small child. “Say hello to Ava, Bear. Be quiet, she’s still asleep.”

Bear looked at the baby as though he was studying the newborn. Ward thought that Bear was trying to figure out why there was such a tiny human in his owner’s arms. He laughed slightly and nodded at Bear, “Now, I know that you’ll be a good big brother, right?” he asked, knowing that the lab had no idea to what he was saying at all. “Right?”

Bear only responded with more tail wagging and his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

Ward laughed and leaned in, running a hand over Bear’s head, “You’re such a goober.” he chuckled. He leaned back and watched as Bear continued to stare at the sleeping baby.

Bear then stood up and got as close to the couch as he could, his head getting ever so close to Ava. Ward’s chest tightened. Now he knew that Bear wouldn’t actually hurt the infant, but it still made him nervous. The lab’s nose hovered over one of Ava’s arms as he sniffed the newborn’s skin. He was probably getting that new baby smell. Ward watched as Bear quickly licked Ava’s arm and then went back to sitting at his feet and staring up at him with that goober-like look.

Ward raised an eyebrow, “Does that mean you like her then?” he asked.

Bear yawned in response and laid himself down on Ward’s booted feet, quickly drifting off.

Ward scoffed, “Well, I guess that’s a yes.” He smiled and looked down at Ava to see her small eyes slowly opening. “Hey there.” he cooed. “Did you have a good nap?”

Worry filled him as Ava’s bottom lip started to quiver and she started to wail, almost kind of like a siren. Oh, great. Ward didn’t know what she wanted. Her diaper felt clean and she just woke up from a nap. Fear shown in his eyes as he continued to stare at her. Bear kept on snoring like nothing was going on.

“She’s hungry, you dork.”

Ward looked to see Skye coming into the room, “Oh thank God, make her stop.” he said, handing Ava over to Skye as she sat down on the couch.

“She’s hungry and wants milk. Meaning, she wants me. That’s her boob cry.”

“Boob cry?” Ward questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, she wants my boob.”

“How do you figure that?”

“To be honest, she kind of sounds like you when you want the same thing, Grant.” Skye replied, standing up and holding Ava close to her chest.

“I do not.”

“Yes, you do. Now go get some sleep, I’ll feed Ava. I know you’ve been up for hours on end caring for her as I slept. It’s your turn. Take Bear and get in bed. I’ll take care of it from here.”

Ward pushed Bear off of his feet and stood up, “You sure you got this?” he asked.

“I guess. I’m the one that birthed her for God’s sakes. I can do this.” She leaned in and quickly kissed Ward on the lips, “Now, get some sleep before you fall over onto the floor.”

“Fine.” Ward huffed. He gently kissed Ava on the top on her head as she continued to whimper. “Just find the off switch on her or something.” He said, walking off with Bear following him.

“Babies do not have off switches, Grant.”

“Well, they should.”

Skye sighed and looked down to Ava, who looked up at her with big, pleading eyes, “Your daddy’s a dork, baby girl.”

She smiled and walked off to feed the infant, laughing as Ward’s voice echoed into the room:

“I’m not a dork!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this, this fic kind of drifted to the back of my mind for a while as I was working on other things. But here's a new chapter! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	8. There's a Ring on That Dog!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ward ends up finally asking the big question.

Ava was about six months old when Skye’s life changed for the better again. And it was all thanks to the dork she called her boyfriend. She’d never thought that Grant Ward, the broken man he was, would ever get the courage to ask her something this big, but he did.

She was sitting on the common room’s couch, bouncing their baby daughter on her knee and making faces at her. That’s when Bear came into the room with a balloon floating above him and tied to his collar. She frowned and sat Ava aside in her little carrier seat as Bear paddled his way over to her, the balloon bouncing wildly.

“Grant?” she called. “Why on Earth is there a balloon tied to our dog?”

“I don’t know.” he called back. It sounded as though he was in the other room somewhere. “Why don’t you check it out?” There was the undeniable tone of amusement in his voice. This balloon was his doing. That dork.

Skye leaned down and beckoned for Bear to come to her, “Come here, boy. Let’s see what that dork did now.” As the lab came forward, Skye noticed a small, brown box tied in a bow at the dog’s neck. Her heart skipped a beat as she reached for it. Oh, he wasn’t, wasn’t he?

She rubbed the dog’s head and freed him of the box and the balloon. She watched as he paddled off again and her attention returned to the small, brown box that she now held in her hand.

“So you found out what it was, right?” Came Ward’s voice, totally spooking her and jerking her attention towards her. She looked up to see him practically looming above her, “This is your doing, isn’t it?” she asked. “Grant, why the hell would you tie a balloon to our dog.”

“Skye, language.”

“Ava’s not going to pick up on that.”

“Well, you don’t know that.”

Skye huffed, “Anyways, what is this?” she asked, gesturing to the small box.

“Why don’t you open it and see for yourself?”

Skye scoffed and opened the small box, and she about dropped it. Inside was a small, simple, diamond ring. Not too fancy, but just right. “Grant,” she looked back to him. “What is,” She stopped as she realized that Ward was kneeling right in front of her, on one knee and Bear right beside him. “Grant, this isn’t what I think it is, is it?” Her throat grew dry.

He smiled at her, that same goofy smile that she always loved. “It’s exactly what you think it is, Skye.” he began. “Skye, I know that we’ve been through a whole lot together. I’ve done some things, no, a lot of thing that I truly, truly regret. But that’s in the past. You’ve pulled me back from hell and got me to where we are now.

We’ve got a family together, no matter how small it may be. But I think it’s perfect and I’m never going to let go of this. I’m never going to let go of you. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I just couldn’t work up the courage to ask. Hell, Fitz pushed me to do it.” His goofy smile grew, “But I don’t want to lose any of this. We’re in this for the long run, Skye. I just want to make it just a bit more permanent. So, Daisy Skye Johnson,” He smiled again, light practically beaming from his smile, “Will you marry me?”

Skye instantly threw herself around him, almost knocking him to the ground, “Oh, yes, Grant! Yes!” she exclaimed, tears in her eyes. “I thought that you would never ask.”

Ward helped her to her feet and retrieved the ring from the couch, “Like I said, I was too afraid to ask.”

She kissed him quickly, “But I’m glad that you did.”

Ward took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger, “It looks nice.” he commented, smiling like a dork again. He walked over to Ava and picked her up, returning to Skye’s side.

Skye looked down at her hand, “Yeah, it looks nice.” She turned to Ava, “You hear that, baby girl? Mommy and Daddy are getting married.”

Ava responded in happy gurgles.

“Skye, she’s six months old. She’s not going to understand the concept of marriage for at least a few years.” Ward replied, wiping spit off of Ava’s chin with his thumb. “But if she was old enough, she could be the flower girl. But she can’t walk yet.”

“We’ll figure something out. Maybe Bear can be the ring bearer.” And Bear barked in response at that.

Ward’s eyes lit up, “Really?” he asked. “He can?”

“Grant, I was kidding. He’s a dog. He would more than likely lose the rings.”

“Nope, you said it. Bear’s going to be the ring _bear_ er.” He smiled, “You see what I did there? You know, his name is Bear and the word bear is in bearer?”

Skye rolled her eyes and took Ava from him, “Yeah, I get it, Sir Puns-a-Lot. This is why I call you a dork.” she retorted. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, “You’ve got to tone them down.”

Ward shrugged and drew both of them in close, “Whatever you say.” he muttered. “You’ve got to live with this.”

“Oh God.”

“Nothing better for my two favorite girls.”

“Grant, please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And some super fluff here! I almost couldn't handle writing it because I found it way too cute. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	9. Dog Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ward spends some time alone with Bear and Ava

Ward watched his now one year old daughter wobble around Bear, who laid in the middle of the common room rug. He kept a close eye on her. It wasn’t like he expected Bear to hurt her, Bear absolutely loved little Ava, he was just afraid that she would fall and hurt her head. She had just started walking just about a month or so ago and she was hyperactive, walking all over the place until she tired. It made nights a lot easier on both Skye and Ward though.

Ava fell into Bear’s soft side and she let out a giggle as the dog licked her face. Ward smiled and leaned back into the couch, messing with the wedding band that he now wore. He still found it hard to believe though that a man as messed up as him could finally have what he always wanted: a family. He had a both a young daughter and a loving wife. That went to show that anyone could come out of the deepest hell and come back to the life.

He touched the simple, silver band again as he watched Ava try to crawl onto Bear’s back with not much success. She giggled as she fell again and Bear remained as friendly as ever. It was amazing to just how laid-back and carefree the dog was since he was letting a small child crawl all over him.

“Hey, what’s going on here?”

Ward looked to see his wife coming into the room and he smiled at her as she came to sit next to him, “Hey, babe.” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

“What did I miss?” she asked.

“Ava trying to conquer Mt. Bear and failing. She’s getting around pretty well though.” Ward explained.

Skye laughed and looked towards the little, brown-haired girl, “Hey, Ava Bug.” she called to get the one year old’s attention.

Ava looked up and a toothy smile filled her face, “Mama!” she screeched, toddling over to Skye. But she fell within a couple of steps, but regained her motion and stood up. She reached Skye, whom of which scooped up the little girl in her arms.

“How’s my little Bug?” she asked.

“Mama!” she screeched. Ava still didn’t have much vocabulary yet. There was a word for food, bottle, nap, no, Bear, and any of the team. She was learning something new every day. She squealed in laughter as Skye blew a raspberry onto her little cheek.

“Were you playing with Bear?”

“Ba!” Ava squealed.

“And I think that it’s time for your nap now, sweetheart.” Skye commented.

Ava knew just what that meant, “No!” she protested, trying to squirm her way out of Skye’s arms.

Ward plucked her right up and shook his head, “Ava, your mama means it.” he said firmly. “Nap, yes.”

Ava still squirmed.

“You want to take her or should I take her?” Ward asked, looking over to Skye.

“I’ll take her, you’ve been with her most of the day anyways since I’ve been busy. I can at least put her down for her nap. Then maybe we could go do something. I was thinking maybe we could get Fitz or Simmons to watch her and we could go out to dinner later.” She raised an eyebrow, “That sound nice?”

“Yes, it does. We haven’t had a dinner date since we got married.”

“Grant, that was literally last month.”

“That’s a long time for no nights out. We’ve been very busy with this little monster.” Ward said, bouncing Ava on his knee. “I think her superpower is hyperactivity.”

Skye took their daughter with a roll of her eyes, “Grant, she won’t go through the Mist until she’s much older. And that’s if she actually wants to. You know that I don’t want to force that upon her.” she said. She looked down to Ava, “Time for nap-nap, little bug.” She leaned over and gave Ward a kiss, “I’ll be back in just a few, if I can get her to go to sleep.” She stood to her feet, “Ava, tell Daddy ‘bye-bye’.”

“Bye-bye.” Ava said with a small wave of her little hand.

Ward waved back at her with a smile as Skye walked out of the room with their daughter. He sighed and called for Bear, “Come here boy.” he said, patting the couch next to him.

Bear barked and took a running jump at the couch, hitting the back cushion. The lab resettled himself with his head on Ward’s lap and Ward began to stroke Bear’s fur.

Ward smiled and leaned his head back, closing his eye, “Guess it’s just me and you for a while, boy.” he muttered. “You like this?”

Bear barked in response, as if he was actually trying to respond.

“I knew it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I'm doing large time gaps, but I like the idea of the fic spanning a long amount of time with each chapter set a good bit of time after the last. But it still works. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	10. What's That Smell?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye and Ava visit Ward and Bear in the gym, Ava doesn't like it so much.

Skye watched with content as she stood in the gym’s window, holding little Ava in her arms as she saw Ward work out within the room. He had stripped his shirt off and was hard at work pulverizing the punching back. A smirk pulled at her lips as she watched her husband’s massive back muscle ripple with each flowing movement he made.

“Baby girl, your daddy’s a hunk.” she whispered to Ava, who was now about one-and-a-half. She was incredibly smart for her young age. She was already constructing almost coherent sentences with her ever-growing vocabulary, no matter how simple it was. Simmons had said that the girl had inherited whatever smarts Skye and Ward had. Ward was book smart with languages, English, and history. That’s why Ava was learning how to talk so damn fast, she was just like her father. Skye was afraid that the girl would get her tech smarts and would start hacking somehow.

“Dada?” Ava asked. She pointed at Ward, “That Dada?” A smile formed, a toothy one. One more thing she inherited from Ward, his tooth-filled smile that seemed to light up the room.

“Yes, that’s Dada. You wanna go see him?”

Ava squealed, “Yea!” she exclaimed, clapping her small hands. “Go see Dada!”

“Alright, hold on, baby girl. Wrap your arms around Mama’s neck.” Skye cooed as Ava wrapped her stubby arms around her. “We’ll go see Dada.”

Now, Ward didn’t notice his two girls walk into the gym at first, since he was hard at work on the bag. It was thanks to Ava’s scream that he did notice him, then Bear’s bark.

“Dada!”

Ward stopped and spun around, smiling as he saw Skye setting their daughter down so she could walk. He knelt to the ground as Ava began to toddle her way over to him. “Come on, Ava. You can do it.” he coaxed, holding his arms out towards her.

Ava squealed again as she made her way to Ward. He scooped her up, ignoring the fact that he was covered in sweat and was more than likely getting it all over his daughter.

He kissed her on the cheek, “Hey there, Ava Bug.”

Ava wrinkled, “Dada ‘tinky.” she stated, not getting near him.

Ward frowned, looking at Skye for an answer, “What?”

“Grant Douglas, you are covered in nasty sweat and you are getting it all over our daughter.” Skye said sternly, coming over and plucking her out of his arms. She poked his very firm chest, “You are not holding her until you are clean and don’t stink. She said that you were stinky.” She wrinkled her nose as well, “You don’t smell very pleasant.”

Ward shrugged and casually glanced down at his shirtless torso, now noticing the heavy sweat. “Oh, well, I am working out, Skye. What do you expect? Me to sweat pure water? Maybe some Febreeze?”

“I can handle it without the attitude.” Skye deadpanned. “I know that you’re a health freak, but I don’t want you rubbing off on Ava and her becoming super obsessed like you are.”

He crossed his arms, “Hey, I eat like you do, just a little better. Maybe I like to work out.” He raised an eyebrow, “And besides, I thought you like my abs?”

“Yes, I do. But this isn’t the kind of talk we have in front of an one-and-a-half year old, Grant.” Skye leaned in to his ear, “Save it for when we’re in bed.”

Ward chuckled and walked over to the bench, picking up the shirt that he had shedded, “I like the sound of that.” he commented, slipping the shirt back on. “And besides, I’m done now. I’ll take a shower then I’ll take Ava off your hands.”

“And you cook supper as well. Coulson wants me to look over some files.”

“Alright.”

Skye casually glanced over and saw that Bear was in the room. She looked back to Ward, “And why on Earth is our dog in here?”

Ward shrugged again, “I don’t like being alone. He makes me feel safe.”

Skye sighed. Ward was still far from the tough super spy he once had been, even though it had been over two years since the Maveth incident. He still had anxiety problems and grew paranoid over small things. He was nowhere as bad as he once had been, but was still a far cry from his old self.

“Well, at least he’s a good guard dog.” Skye commented as Ward came over and took Ava from her, forgetting about what she had said earlier.

“Yes, he is.” He placed a kiss on the top of Ava’s head. “Let’s go clean up.”

Ava wrinkled her nose again and whimpered, “Dada ‘tinky.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know what this chapter was other than fluff. But I am planning something big for the next chapter, so watch for that. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	11. Storming In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A stormy night scares Ava and Bear; Skye has some big news for her husband and daughter.

Ward just knew at the first clap of thunder that he and Skye wouldn’t be alone for the night. Following the next one, he could hear sniffling outside of the door. He sighed and pulled himself up to where he was sitting upright and he turned on the bedside lamp.

“It’s Ava, isn’t it?” Skye mumbled, sitting up as well.

“Yep, I guess Bear wasn’t enough protection for her.” Ward answered sleepily, threading his fingers through her hair. He had ‘entrusted’ Bear to Ava when she started sleeping in her own room, which was next to theirs of course. Skye could hardly believe that Ward no longer had Bear at his side, but now Bear followed little Ava wherever she went.

Their door slowly creaked open to reveal the brown-haired two year old clutching a stuffed animal, a dog of course, closely and Bear next to her. She sniffled and toddled into the room, “Daddy, I’m scared.” she said, crawling into her parents’ bed. “Thunder too loud.”

Ward sighed, briefly looking over to Skye before replying, “You can stay in here for just tonight since it’s storming.” he answered. “Right between us.”

“God, I’m glad we have a king-sized bed or this wouldn’t work.” Skye muttered, moving over so Ava could get in between them. “Grant, you’re like three times the size of me.”

“Ava’s small, this will work for a while.”

Ava gave a toothy grin as she settled in between her parents, “What ‘bout Bear?” she asked. “Can he sleep here too?”

“He’ll sleep in the floor, there’s no room for him too, sweetheart.” Skye said, brushing back her daughter’s hair. “He’ll be fine there. That’s where he slept before he started sleeping with you.”

“Otay.”

“Now, go to sleep, baby girl.” Skye continued. “We didn’t let you come in here so you can stay up all night.” Another clap of thunder sounded. “It’s okay.”

“Otay.”

Skye nodded and looked over to Ward, “We seriously need to find our own place soon, Grant. We can’t keep living here. This whole thing is starting to get cramped and this is no place for kids.”

Ward shrugged, “It’s just Ava. She’ll be fine.”

“It’s not that, Grant. A secret, highly-militarized base is no place for a little girl. Or more.” Ward saw a light dancing in her eyes.

“Skye, what do you mean by ‘more’?” Ward asked, narrowing his eyes. “Please don’t tell me,”

“Yep. I’m pregnant.” She smiled, “I meant to tell you tomorrow, but I went ahead since I guess none of us are going to be able to sleep.”

Ward nodded, trying to keep calm. This was actually amazing, his family was still growing. “How long?”

“About five weeks. That’s why I’m saying we need to find an actual house. One with a backyard and neighbors. One with a school nearby.”

“What’s pre-ant?” Ava asked, her pronunciation tickling both Skye and Ward.

Skye gulped, she knew that Ava wouldn’t have the ‘talk’ for years to come. How would she explain this to a two year old? “Well, you see, you’re going to be a big sister. There’s a baby in my tummy. I’m having a baby.”

“A baby in your tummy?!” Ava exclaimed like the idea was completely ridiculous. “You ated the baby?!”

“No, not exactly sweetheart. The baby just grows in my tummy, that’s all. And in a few months, you’ll have a little brother or sister.”

“I want a sissy!”

Ward shook his head, “Of course she does.” he muttered, receiving a sharp elbow from Skye.

Ava moved to Skye’s stomach, “Hello, baby!” she yelled into it. “Hello!”

This sent Skye into laughter. The sight of her daughter trying to talk to her barely-there unborn child was just great. “Sweetheart, the baby’s too small. They can’t hear you yet. But I promise that they eventually will. Okay?”

“Otay.”

“Now, go to sleep.” Skye motioned for Ward to turn off the light. “We’ll talk about this in the morning, Grant.”

Ward nodded and turned off the light, settling back down into the sheets as both Ava and Skye did so as well. He moved and managed to wrap his massive arms around them both, “I love you two.” he whispered, kissing Ava on the head and causing her to giggle.

“Love you Daddy.” Ava giggled.

“Love you, Grant.” Skye called.

Ward smiled to himself, proud of his now-growing family. This is what he always wanted, and he finally had it. He about drifted off to sleep when another clap of thunder sounded and Bear barked.

“Daddy, Bear barking!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another baby is on the way! I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this one going, it'll probably stop a few chapters after the baby is born. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	12. That New House Smell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ward introduces Skye, Ava, and their unborn child to their new home.

Ward fumbled for his keys, trying to open the door for his heavily-pregnant wife and his two year old daughter. _Keys_ , he actually had keys to an actual house. He actually had a house in an actual neighborhood. He actually had a home to call his own.

“Alright,” he muttered. “I think this is it. Now, we all worked hard on this.”

“Grant, you didn’t even let me help do anything. I haven’t even seen the inside of it yet.” Skye stated, absentmindedly placing a hand over her swollen belly. “I couldn’t even pick out the colors for the baby’s room.”

Ward shook his head, “I wanted this to be a total surprise for you, babe. You’re the one that wanted this anyways. Everyone helped pitch in. You wouldn’t believe how well of a painter Fitz is. Mack, Lincoln, Coulson, May, Morse, and Hunter all helped with the major repairs. Yo-Yo, Simmons, May, Morse, and Fitz helped with interior stuff. Well, more like everyone had a say in what went into the house.” he explained. “But believe me, it looks great.”

“It took you guys long enough. Let’s see, I was two months pregnant when you started now I’m seven months. It took you five months.”

“There was a lot to do.”

“Can I see my room, Daddy?” Ava asked, pulling on Ward’s pants leg.

Ward scooped Ava up into his arms, “Yes, sweetheart, that’s the first thing we will go see. We got all your stuff from the base in there.”

“Yay!” She clapped her small hands together.

“Alright, Mrs. Ward, here’s your new house.” Ward said with an overly-sappy smile, swinging the door wide open. He stepped to the side as Bear bounded in with a loud bark, immediately jumping on the couch that sat in the middle of the living room.

Skye placed a hand over her mouth as she walked in, “Grant, it’s beautiful.” she commented, looking all around.

The living room wasn’t too extravagant. There was a nice, big couch, which Bear now occupied, a recliner, two more formal chairs, and a massive fireplace in the corner of the room. The walls were a light greenish color and dark, hardwood floors covered the entirety of the room. Various decorations hung on the wall.

Skye walked up to a massive photo hanging on the wall, their wedding photo. Ward wore a big smile as he held baby Ava in his right arm and his left arm was wrapped around Skye. She turned to Ward, “Grant, you even got a big picture of this made! I love it!” she exclaimed.

Ward shrugged, coming up to her and wrapping his arm around her, “Only the best for you, babe.” he said softly, kissing her on the cheek.

“Daddy!” Ava screeched from his arms. “I want to see my room! Pease!”

“Fine, sweetheart, we’ll go do that.” Ward spun around and headed down the hall, stopping at a door that had Ava’s name written in colorful block letters. He pointed at them, “What does that say, baby girl?” he asked. They had been trying to get her to read every little thing that she saw. She was proving to be an excellent reader.

“A…” she began, staring at the letter. “Ava! My name! That my name!” she giggled.

Ward smiled and opened the door, setting the little girl down and letting her run into the room. He waited a few seconds, holding up a finger as he looked at Skye, “Wait for it,”

“I love it!” she screeched.

Skye walked in to survey their daughter’s new room. The walls were a light purple color and the carpet was a brownish color. Her bed was a twin with a white frame, Avengers sheets covering it with many stuffed animals.

“Avengers, really?” Skye asked. “She personally knows most of them.”

“She wanted it.” Ward stated, acknowledging that their daughter was obsessed with two things, dogs and superheroes. “And everything from her room at the base is in here, so she’s got everything.”

Ava plopped from off of her bed, “Tank you, Daddy! I love it!”

Ward knelt down in front of his daughter, “So, are you going to love it here, Ava?” he asked. “The others will visit a lot and you’ll meet plenty of friends here. There’s a massive backyard that you and Bear can run around in.”

Ava nodded, “Yep!”

“Well, I’ve only seen a little bit, and I personally love it.” Skye stated, wrapping her arms around Ward the best she could as he stood up.

“Wait until you see the nursery. This is where Simmons and Morse stepped in big time. And Fitz had a little say so in it, you’ll see what I’m talking about.”

Skye huffed, “Are there monkeys?”

“Just a few.”

Ava toddled over to Skye’s belly, placing her hands on her swollen stomach, “Will baby love it here?” she asked. They hadn’t named the unborn child just yet even though they had found out that Skye was having a boy. So for now, he was just ‘baby’.

Skye smiled down at Ava, stroking her hair, “Don’t worry, Baby Ward will love it just fine here.”

“Skye, ‘Baby Ward’ makes it sound as though you’re having a miniature version of me.” Ward commented, watching as Ava continued to stare at Skye’s swollen belly.

Skye narrowed her eyes at him, “God, I hope not. Just one of you is enough. I hope he just gets your looks. He’ll be very well off if he does.” she replied. She looked back down to Ava, “Ava, can you say hello to the baby? Maybe he’ll kick for you.”

Ava placed her mouth to Skye’s stomach, “Hello, baby! You in there?” she called. A sharp movement from underneath her skin kicked at Ava’s little hand. Ava looked up at Skye, wonderment in her eyed, “Baby kicked! Your tummy moved!”

“That’s just him saying hello.” Ward said, scooping her back up. “Ava, how about we go get the rest of the stuff from the car as Mommy sees the rest of the house, okay?” he asked, kissing her cheek.

Ava smiled her now-famous toothy grin, “Otay!” she exclaimed.

Ward looked at Skye, “Go ahead and look at the rest of the house, babe. We’ll go get the bags and stuff.”

Skye nodded as she watched the two loves of her life leave the room. She huffed as she felt the baby kick again. She placed a hand on her stomach and looked down at it, “You must be ready to come out, huh?” she whispered. “You’ve still got a little while, though. But don’t worry, you’ll love it here when you do.” Skye shook her head and smiled even more, “’Cause I absolutely do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, I believe that this all over the place story is soon drawing to a close. Maybe two or three more chapters, sometime after the new baby is born. And I'm starting to solely focus on my main fics, so I want to get this one finished up. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	13. Little Toes and a lot of Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beach day!

Skye watched Ward from a distance, sitting in a beach chair in the crisp, white sand. Ward stood ankle-deep in the ocean waves, holding onto Ava’s hand as she splashed her small feet around in the surf. She could faintly hear their three-year-old’s laughter over the din of the beach, and that made her heart swell with joy. Gurgling sounds came from her feet and she looked down to see Cade, now seven months old, looking at her from his special seat from underneath the beach umbrella.

She smiled and lowered herself from her own seat to get down to Cade, picking him up and placing him in her lap. “You wanted Mommy?” she asked him softly, wiping at drool that ran down his cheek. She got happy gurgles in response. Then she turned him around so he could see the ocean. “You see that, Cade?” she asked, pointing towards Ward and Ava in the distance. “There’s Daddy and Ava.”

The little black-haired boy babbled, as if he really wanted to say something in response. Skye smiled and reached for the baby’s bag, pulling out a bottle of milk and handing it to Cade. He happily accepted the bottle and immediately latched his mouth onto the nipple.

Skye continued to watch her husband and daughter as Ward now had Ava on his shoulders and was about waist-deep in the water. Ava did have her life jacket on, so Skye didn’t worry about her falling into the water. Ward’s biceps stood out greatly as he held onto Ava’s legs. Skye took great appreciation with this sight. Well, all and all she did marvel at the sight she got when Ward was in swimming trunks. Ward hardly wore shorts, so this was the closest thing she would get to that.

Even from a distance, Skye could’ve sworn that she could see the numerous scars crisscrossing both Ward’s back and chest, a stark reminder of the hardships he had faced. The past four years had been his greatest. But Ward’s own scars drew Skye’s attention to her own, the two rounded scars on her abdomen. She was still nervous about wearing bikinis, no matter how many times Ward assured her that she looked completely fine. A part of her believed that he was only saying that because they were married. She was self-conscious about the scar tissue, even though it truly wasn’t all that bad. But that was the least of her worries.

She had two children to worry about now. And a dog, she reminded herself as she could see Bear splashing around in the surf with Ward and Ava. Those were honestly much bigger worries than what scarred her stomach. She mindlessly ran her fingers through Cade’s feather-soft black hair. He was only seven months old and already looked a lot like Ward. She could even swear that he was getting those chiseled cheekbones. He’d surely been a looker when he got older.

Now Skye could see Ward walking back towards the umbrella with Ava in hand and Bear bounding around at his side. Ava came up to them with the now-infamous Ward smile on her face.

“Momma, I played in the water!” she exclaimed, plopping down onto the massive beach towel.

Skye raised an eyebrow, “I saw that.” She looked up at Ward, “And a little too deep for my tastes.”

Ward sighed and sat down, taking Cade from Skye, “She was on my shoulders, Skye. You know that I would never drop her. And she’s got a jacket on. She was fine.”

“Alright, I still don’t like it though. What cuts the fun time so short?”

“I’m hungry.” Ava stated, eyes drifting to the cooler. “I want food. Cade gets food.”

Ward looked at his watch, “It is noon, so I guess we’ll eat now. Then maybe we’ll build a sandcastle for a while.”

Ava clapped her hands together, “Yay! I wanna build one, but Daddy’s gotta help!”

“If anything, he’ll destroy it.” Skye muttered, reaching for the cooler and dragging it over towards them.

Ward raised an eyebrow, “What was that?” he asked, sitting Cade back into his seat.

“Nothing.”

“That’s what I thought.” Ward stated smugly as Skye opened the cooler and pulled out the bag of sandwiches then handing Ava a juicebox. “And I was thinking, we need to be back to the house before it gets too late.”

“Grant, we live like an hour away. We’ll be fine. And besides, these two monsters will be knocked out before then. Maybe another couple of hours. I don’t want you two getting sunburned.”

“Ava will be fine, she’s got that weird sunblock stuff on you bought. Put some more on her after we eat.”

“She’s not the one that I’m worried about. The last time you got sunburned, you got extremely whiny and annoying. And that’s not the Grant Ward to have, you know.”

Ward shrugged, handing Ava a plate that held a carefully cut-up sandwich, “Hey, it hurt like crazy.”

“You’ve been through a lot worse and didn’t even bat an eye.” Skye deadpanned. “Why is a sunburn any different?”

“Just cause it is.” Ward muttered, looking away and avoiding Skye’s gaze. He stuck half a sandwich in his mouth. “Because it is.” he mumbled around the bread.

“Don’t talk while you’re eating, Grant. That’s teaching Ava bad manners.”

Ward only shrugged.

Skye sighed and pulled out her own sandwich, “Let’s just enjoy the day, okay? Finish eating and take Ava to build that castle she really wants to build.”

Ward mumbled around his sandwich again, “Mmmph.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait with this, I totally forgot about it. And there's not much left with this. Just one or two updates. And if you are wondering, their son's full name is Caden Alexander Ward. Keep the comments and kudos coming!

**Author's Note:**

> Just some nice, puppy-filled fluff I thought of! Check out my Tumblr at gears-of-ward!


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